Nighttime city street scene with illuminated historic building and modern high-rise buildings, traffic lights, and few pedestrians.
Nighttime cityscape with a bridge in the foreground and illuminated historic buildings, including St. Paul's Cathedral, in the background shrouded in fog.
Empty cobblestone alleyway at night, illuminated by a few streetlights, with stairs leading up at the end and buildings on either side.
Closed storefront for Blackfriars, illuminated at night with glass walls and metallic elements.
A food truck named 'The Sweet Spot' at night, offering ice cream, donuts, churros, coffee, and hot food, parked under a tree with city lights in the background.
Underground urban area with wet tiled floor, reflected lights, stairs, railing, and sign pointing towards a garden, cafe, and bar.
Night view of a modern suspension bridge with illuminated cables and a lit tower in the distance, over a body of water, under a dark sky.
A nighttime city street scene showing a corner with closed stores, including a tobacco shop. Two people are standing on the sidewalk and talking, with buildings and streetlights visible in the background.
Nighttime storefront with a neon sign inside that reads 'Reis'd Everything Except Temptation.' The entrance is in the center with stairs leading up, flanked by decorative black and gold tiles and large glass windows reflecting surrounding lights and
A dimly lit narrow alleyway with brick and concrete walls, illuminated by a single overhead light.
Nighttime city street scene with illuminated signs and a theater marquee displaying 'The Book of Mormon' and advertisements for musical awards. Pedestrians walking past parked cars.
Nighttime view of an urban street corner with a store entrance, illuminated H&M and store signs, and a London Underground sign indicating an entrance to the subway.
A bar window with the Nicholson's logo, two antique-style lamps, and a notice that the bar is temporarily closed.
Night scene of the empty city street with closed shops and the illuminated signage of Horizons Casino and other businesses.
Empty street decorated with colorful lanterns and banners, with shops and buildings on both sides, illuminated by streetlights.
Narrow alleyway with brick buildings on both sides, decorated with hanging red lanterns. The alley contains black waste bins and cardboard boxes, with various small signs and graffiti visible on the walls.
Empty city street decorated with hanging paper lanterns at night, illuminated by streetlights and shop signs, with traditional Chinese architecture and signage.
Nighttime exterior view of the Apollo Theatre with a vintage illuminated sign reading 'L. POLLO THEATRE STAGE DOOR' mounted on an old brick building with a window and a black metal fence.
Empty city sidewalk at night with illuminated signs and advertisements, including a large poster for a musical and a digital sign displaying 'I DON'T NEED YOUR LOVE'.
Empty shopping street at night with string lights, store signs, and a neon sign that reads 'CARNABY SOHO'.
Nighttime outdoor vertical hotel sign with illuminated neon letters on a brick building.
Nighttime view of Oxford Circus underground station entrance with a 'Social Distancing' sign indicating less than 2 meters distance, a red double-decker bus on the street, and nearby illuminated buildings.
Empty city street at night with illuminated buildings, a subway sign, and digital billboards.
Nighttime city scene with historic building, traffic lights, illuminated store signs, and a central statue in a public square.
Nighttime view of a brick building with illuminated windows and a central arched doorway, a street lamp providing light.
Dark street scene at night featuring a closed wooden door with a light above it, surrounded by brick and stone walls, with parked cars on either side.
Nighttime view of an apartment building with brick exterior, illuminated doors, and windows, featuring two floors with balconies.
Urban alleyway with graffiti on the wall, barred windows, and dim lighting.
Elevator doors covered in graffiti in a dark, urban setting
A person with a hat crouching inside an elevator, viewed through a scratched glass door with graffiti and reflections.
Nighttime city street scene with a red rescue van parked on the sidewalk, a person standing outside near the van, and a group of people gathered to the right, with buildings and storefronts in the background.
A person walking past a large sign that says, 'Excuse us while we freshen up,' on a dark city street at night.
A dimly lit street scene at night with a closed store sign that reads 'MOLESKINE' in illuminated letters.
A person walking in a dark alley at night, with brick walls on either side decorated with posters and a blue traffic sign pointing left.
A person walking past the blue door of Wyndham's Theatre with a street sign above that reads 'Stage Door.' The scene is set at night with dim lighting and brick building exterior.
Nighttime street scene with two people walking illuminated by a streetlamp, near a brick building with a sign reading 'The Hippodrome Casino'.
A person in dark clothing and a face mask walks past a warmly lit wooden restaurant entrance at night, with menu and promotional signs displayed in the window.
A person standing under an overpass at night, illuminated by a blue streetlight, with posters on the wall and a trash bag nearby.
A street food stall at night selling falafel and crispy chicken. The stall is lit with neon signs that read 'FALAFEL' and has a person working inside preparing food. There are signs indicating vegan street food options and images of food on display.
Silhouette of a man walking in front of a large window displaying an abstract, landscape-like projection in shades of blue and gray inside a dark room.

Night photographs taken on the first day of the UK COVID lockdown, documenting an eerily empty London. Familiar landmarks including Piccadilly Circus, Trafalgar Square and Chinatown appear silent and abandoned, capturing the uncertainty and stillness as the city entered shutdown.

London Holds Breath

This collection of night photographs was made on the first day of the UK COVID lockdown, walking through central London as the city fell abruptly silent. Iconic locations such as Oxford Circus, Soho and theatre — usually crowded and illuminated by movement — appeared empty, still and unsettling. Moving through these familiar spaces in near total absence revealed a city stripped of its rhythm, capturing the uncertainty, isolation and unease of a historic moment when London came to a standstill.